A Puzzle: Younger Americans Are More Educated But Poorer

05Dec

If younger Americans, ages 18-34, are more educated than their parents’ generation but making less money, then what is the REAL agenda behind corporate public education reform and destroying teacher’s labor unions?
A few facts:
For ages 24-65, the average high school graduation rate for OECD nations is 75%, but for the United States, that high school graduation rate is 90%
In addition, the average college graduation rate for OECD nations is 38%m but for the United States, the college graduate rate is 42%
What is the real reason that U.S. and global corporations are waging war against public schools and labor unions in the United States?

Your guess is as good as mine, but here is my guess. Inequality is growing; the middle class is less secure. The “reformers” want everyone to go to college, but they do nothing to address the shrinkage of jobs, especially jobs that pay what college graduates are led to expect. All their “reform” blather is a convenient way of diverting attention from growing wage inequality and growing wealth inequality.

Strauss writes:

Young adults in the United States today — those Americans from 18 to 34 years old — are on average earning less than their counterparts 35 years ago, but more have a college degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This piece on the bureau’s blog says that earnings among young adults range from state…